Tales Of The Unexpected

Fred Pearson is a no-hoper. He comes to recognize an old comrade from 'Nam and thinks about remedying his present situation.

'GB' lives his life according to logic. He tells the story of how he became the best chess player in the world.

High roller Sutton's blackmailer wants more hush money. An opportunity presents itself.

Writer Sam Luke receives death threats when on a promotional tour for his latest book.

A driver picks up a hitch-hiker, perhaps not the wisest thing to do when the radio is full of the news of serial murderer the 'Will-o-the-Wisp' killer and the description given of him fits that of the hitcher. Furthermore the passenger seems quite obsessed with the killer to the driver's discomfort. He even knows how many victims there have been. Or does he?

Walter Oates, editor of a crime magazine, is married to Jane but having an affair with his secretary Edna. The two women meet when Edna fills in at a dinner party. Walter runs a competition for the best murder mystery, though most entries are rubbish. Jane challenges him to write a story under an alias. But when life mirrors art, even an assumed name offers little protection.

Elizabeth kills her husband to be with her young lover Ray, who helped in the murder. Insecure about the age gap, she gets a facelift and follows a strict exercise regime to maintain her figure. Then she sees a flyer for an anti-aging process called the Gift of Beauty. Is it the answer to her prayers or a means to punish a guilty woman?

On a wet Saturday, Mr. Princey discovers his unbalanced daughter Millicent has killed a man she was obsessed with, using a croquet mallet. Determined to avoid scandal, Princey devises a plan. When a family friend visits, he instructs his dim-witted son George to attack him, making it look like self-defense. Family solidarity is crucial. Nothing must go wrong. Will it?

Having arranged the death of her very wealthy husband in order to be with her young lover Stephen - and lavish her late husband's riches on him - Olivia is extremely annoyed by his cavalier attitude when he sees himself as a free agent and takes up with Gloria. He must be taught a lesson.

Jack and Edna's pet parrot dies after laying an unusually large egg which hatches out into a very ugly and fairly large black bird. Initially it does not speak but Jack comes to like it, unlike his wife. Jack suspects Edna of infidelity and comes to see the bird as an ally who will check up on her behaviour for him. Needless to say he is in for a surprise.

Garment manufacturer Harry Elton is in big trouble. His partner Marvin's poor fashion predictions threaten to bankrupt him. Harry enjoys his lifestyle in Wilmington with his wife Roberta and doesn't want to lose it. However, if Roberta "went" and he collected her life insurance, he could maintain his comfortable existence. . .

Steve and Jane are thieves posing as market researchers for Silvertone metal polish, scouting homes to burgle. In a hotel bar, they meet eccentric old Percy, rumored to have a hidden fortune. They decide to break into his house, but Percy catches an earlier bus home and surprises them. He proves to be far more trouble than they could have imagined.

James Howgill finds his marriage to Caroline unfulfilling and wants a divorce, but she refuses, seeing nothing wrong. He hires meticulous private eye H.A.K. Bates to catch her with another man. However, the detective's findings lead James to see Caroline in a new light, resulting in a reconciliation. Did Caroline, by any chance, orchestrate this outcome?

Government minister Gerald Overton attends a party without his wife Jennifer, passionately advocating for citizen empowerment. Distracted by the seductive Mary Tregallas, he walks home and is bumped by a stranger, later finding his wallet missing. After recovering it from the man, he returns home, only for Jennifer to reveal he dropped his wallet at home before leaving. And worse is yet to come.

Holidaying in Connecticut, Gregory visits an isolated hunting lodge and meets a girl called Jane, who tells him a disturbing story about an accident which befell members of her family when they went through 'the open window' on a hunting expedition. Is she lying or will the figures really return as her mother expects?